On June 25, 2020, the long-awaited fund to compensate victims of Jeffrey Epstein opened. Claims packets will be mailed to all previously-identified victims. Those who do not receive packets and believe that they are eligible for the fund will be able to register to participate.
The totally voluntary and confidential program will be administered by Jordana Feldman, who recently left her appointment as the administrator of the 9/11 Fund to run the Epstein Fund. The program is modeled after a system created by Washington D.C.-based attorney Ken Feinberg and his business manager, Camille Biros. The two have administered similar diocesan settlement funds nationwide over the past two years and Horowitz Law has been actively involved in all of them since the very first one opened in New York in 2016.
In the thousands of hours that we have spent working on the claims, we have noticed that our clients, all of whom are survivors of childhood sexual abuse, often ask us similar questions about the independent compensation programs. We have included some of those questions – and the answers – for you now.
Question 1: What is the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program?
The Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program (EVCP) was created from the enormous estate of deceased serial child molester Jeffrey Epstein and is intended to compensate his victims in a confidential, efficient process overseen by the Probate Court. Jordana Feldman will serve as the administrator of the fund, and she is charged with reviewing each of the claims and determining the monetary amount to be paid to each claimant.
It is a voluntary program that allows survivors of Epstein’s abuse to participate in a simpler, more streamlined process of resolving their cases than traditional litigation (filing a lawsuit in court). In similar programs, the efficiency of the process often results in compensation being paid to survivors in a period of a few months, rather than in several years.
Question: Who can file a claim in the Epstein VCP?
The program is open to anyone who was sexually abused (or otherwise subject to sexual misconduct) by Jeffrey Epstein. This includes anyone who has previously settled a claim against Epstein. This also includes anyone assaulted as an adult and the estates of deceased victims.
The claims will be considered without regard to whether the statute of limitations has expired or not.
If you were sexually assaulted by Jeffrey Epstein, contact us now to discuss your legal options.
Question: I received the lengthy claims packet in the mail – what do I do now?
If you have received a packet from the administrators, we strongly encourage you to consult with an attorney before you attempt to submit the packet yourself. The questions can seem daunting and confusing. An experienced attorney can mean the difference between a very small offer from the fund and a much bigger one. People who file claims are not typically interviewed by the fund administrators so the claims packet is the one chance survivors have to tell their entire story from start to the present, and even the future, particularly if therapy or counseling will be needed in the future.
Our attorneys have spent thousands of hours preparing compensation program claims packets for funds across the country. We have a unique understanding of how to assemble supporting documents and present your case in a manner that gives the claims administrators the best and most complete information necessary to evaluate your claim.
Question: What is a “claims packet?”
The claims packet is a 10 page form generated by Ms. Feldman’s office. Typically the packet asks for some basic information about you and your background. Of course, it also requests information about your sexual abuse experience and how it has affected you. It is these two areas that are the most important to the fund administrators, for various reasons – and that is exactly why you should consult with an attorney before you try to do anything on your own. We know exactly what information will be helpful to your case.
Question: I didn’t get a claims packet in the mail but I think I am eligible for the Epstein VCP. What should I do?
The EVCP does have an open registration period during which anyone who thinks they are eligible to participate in the EVCP can request to do so. During this very strict – and brief – registration period, the EVCP administrators will verify some preliminary information regarding your eligibility for the fund. This is generally a routine review of basic facts that results in a claims packet being sent to our office.
All claims must be registered with the Epstein VCP before February 8, 2021, so it is critical that you contact us soon to discuss your options.
Question: How much money is available in the fund?
According to information provided by the fund administrator, there is no set limit on the amount of money that she will be able to distribute. According to the fund protocols, the fund will be replenished as needed, with the permission of the probate court, to make sure that all victims have been appropriately compensated.
Question: I told a police officers about my sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein 15 years ago. I will get a claims packet from the EVCP eventually, right?
The claims packets were sent to people that the administrator can identify and locate, but the packets may not reach every person, particularly if you have moved from the address you had at the time of your report.
Unless you receive a claims packet by early July 2020, it is safe to assume that you will need to register your claim in order to participate in the fund.
Therefore, even if you think you will be sent a packet automatically, we urge you to contact us immediately to make sure that your claim is registered in a timely manner and that a claims packet is generated for you. If you do not act before the registration deadline, you will lose your chance to participate in the settlement fund forever.
Question: Will anyone find out that I filed an EVCP claim?
The program is confidential in the sense that neither the fund administrators nor the attorneys for the Estate will disclose any information publicly about those who participate in the program or their sexual abuse experiences. The amounts paid to survivors are never made public, except as a total amount of settlements paid to the group as a whole. Your name will never become part of the court record and the general public will not have access to information about the claimants in the fund.
EVCP Claimants, on the other hand, are not required to maintain such confidentiality and can share their involvement with as many – or as few – people as they would like.
Question: Is the Epstein VCP a class action settlement fund?
The EVCP is not a class action settlement fund – each claim will be evaluated individual and each claimant will receive an individual response from the administrators. Each claim is on its own timetable to a certain extent. Settlement amounts in these funds vary widely, depending on various factors like the severity of the sexual abuse and its effects on the survivors. That is why having an experienced attorney is critical – we know what information is going to be important to Ms. Feldman and her team.
CONTACT US TODAY.
The attorneys of Horowitz Law have represented victims of Jeffrey Epstein for more than a decade. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Jeffrey Epstein now have legal options to recover damages due to a compensation fund created for victims as part of the settlement of his estate.
Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an email to [email protected] to discuss your options today.